Jurgen Klopp has again hinted that he may be ready to leave Liverpool once his current contract expires in 2022.
Liverpool looked at their brilliant best when they dispatched Arsenal 3-1 at Anfield on Saturday, but Klopp has since set out what could be his exit plan from the club.
Klopp has already had a contract extension, and owners Fenway Sports Group have repeatedly said they want to keep the German at Anfield for as long as possible after his impressive transformation of the team.
After leading the Reds to Champions League glory last season, Klopp is now targeting ending Liverpool's three-decade wait for a Premier League title, but he may only have another three years left in the tank.
"I hope to continue like this, but within two, three years I don't know what may happen," Klopp said.
OH, WOW 😱
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 24, 2019
That is special, @MoSalah 😍 pic.twitter.com/fV4SmgwHkE
Klopp's Liverpool team are the mirror image of their manager, with intensity and passion the cornerstones of them becoming champions of Europe and second only to Manchester City domestically.
The former Borussia Dortmund boss took a break from management after leaving the German side, although that ended up being just four months before he moved to Anfield, and he again thinks he may need a break in the not-so-distant future.
Asked if he was planning to take a break from football after his Liverpool contract ended, Klopp told Kicker: "It looks like it. Who can now say if he can give it his all in three years' time?
"If I decide for myself that I can't go on anymore, I'll take a break and in that year I'd have to make a definite decision [over my career].
"I have absolute energy, but I have one problem; I can't do 'a little bit.' I can only do 'all or nothing.'
"But the chances are very high that my energy levels will go up again, and that I can then do the job the way I want to."
"It was outstanding." ✨
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 24, 2019
Jurgen Klopp was full of praise for his Liverpool side following their win over Arsenal! 🤤
📲 - Watch full highlights on the Sky Sports app or the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel! pic.twitter.com/yjv0gmzES7
Gerrard the man to replace Klopp
Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard will be the instant favourite to replace Klopp when the German eventually leaves Liverpool, and his former team-mate Jerzy Dudek has revealed he is the only candidate the club will be looking at when the time comes.
Gerrard is performing well under difficult circumstances at Rangers, and with Frank Lampard holding the Chelsea job and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in charge at Manchester United, another club legend could be taking the helm in the next few years according to Liverpool's 2005 Champions League winning goalkeeper.
"When I was in Liverpool recently no one kept it secret that Steven is the main and only candidate for replacing Klopp when his era at Anfield would end," Dudek wrote in his column for Przeglad Sportowy.
"Everyone knows that sooner or later the great captain will return."
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